I interpret the quotes as, they are just being cutesy with using the name of a town as a person’s name. The quotes are there to kind of point out that they are using the word “Medford” in a different way and to draw your attention to it. Plus it is a ficticious character, and isn’t that what you do with ficticious characters? I don’t have a problem with it.

In regards to what Alexa said, a fictional character does not need to have quotation marks unless you are citing a quote. I see the quotation marks in this ad as a use of characterization/personification of the Medford Branch. The quotation marks seem to be used to distinguish between the persona and the location to avoid confusion.

I understand that advertising breaks conventions to try to be clever. However, this ad is in poor taste, and I have no desire to meet this so-called “Medford.”

Sometimes nicknames are used in quotation marks, e.g. William “Bill” Williamson. Note that this is in context of the real name. The problem is that outside of that context, someone would refer to that person as Bill, not “Bill.”

Here is Kate’s NPR radio interview. If you still think this girl knows ANYTHING about grammar after listening to this, and you don’t think she’s anything less than egotistical, pretentious, self-promoting, and just plain ridiculous, there is something wrong with you. Just because you put some comma and apostrophe stickers on some signs, doesn’t make you a “grammar vandal.” What credentials does she have to viciously attack anyones grammar? She can barely answer the simple questions answered in this interview! It’s great how she goes silent after every question, and seems to ask her interviewer if her answers are correct. Pathetic. No one has perfect grammar, as we see in this blog. No one. And Especially not Kate. So, enough with this crap. Enough with this bashing blog! The people have spoken in ALL of her comments. Enough is enough, Kate.

(oh, and I know you won’t answer this post, because you’re too good for that, just like your “favorite bloggers.” Like…Perez Hilton. Laughable.)

By the way, I love your blog. Having grown up in India where good command over English grammar is considered extremely important, it is refreshing to see someone take this cause up in America too. (Ironically, my own English has gone to the dogs ever since I moved to the US. Blame it on the environment.)